Pitcher Matt Barnes has retired from fastball and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

EL SEGUNDO – The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent forward Matt Barnes, it was announced today by General Manager Mitch Kupchak. Per team policy terms of the contract were not released.

Barnes, a seven-year NBA veteran, appeared in 81 games (58 starts) last season with Orlando, averaging 8.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.9 minutes while posting five double-doubles and leading the Magic in scoring six times, in rebounds on four occasions and in assists twice.

Originally selected by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round (46th overall pick) of the 2002 NBA Draft, Barnes has averaged 7.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 444 career games (162 starts).

A 6’7” forward, Barnes played four seasons collegiately at UCLA where he became the 43rd player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and helped the Bruins reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in each of his last three seasons.

Editor’s note: When did Matt get all tatted up?

Written by Bob Otto on June 25th, 2010

(click banner for original news story at OttoinFocus)

Mike Trotter of the Southern Oregon Bandits, shows his form while pitching for CR Adidas in the 2004 ASA Class A National Tournament.
Photo By BOB OTTO – botto3 (at) verizon.net

EAGLE POINT, OR – Mike Trotter doesn’t know how he will feel in his final game, throwing his final pitch, and stepping off the pitching rubber for the final time. But he does know the time has come to say goodbye.

At the end of the season, Trotter will leave fastpitch softball after a 63-year career that began in 1947. And above all else there’s one thing he’d like to be remembered for.

“I would like to be remembered for my passion for the sport,” said the 71-year-old, right-handeder. “It’s what has kept me going.”

Trotter has toyed with retirement for the past 15 years, but he always pushed it aside. But he knew this year would be his last. The aches and pains have become just too much.

“After a tournament, my ankle and my legs hurt from Monday until the next weekend,” Trotter said. “And my reflexes are slower. With the hot bats and hot balls, the ball comes back faster than it goes in.”

Memories? Trotter has more than a few. There’s the time as a fifth grader when he watched wide-eyed as Eddie Feigner (King and His Court fame) conducted a pitching clinic for young, aspiring pitchers.

“That was what got me interested,” Trotter said.

THE GREAT ONES REMEMBERED

And he recalls the great pitchers he battled – Dick Christenson, Roy Burlison, and Dan Woodman, just to name a few. “Woodman was a great competitor and had a good inside rise ball that curved into right handed batters,” Trotter said.

Mike Trotter has pitched approximately 1,700 games in his career.

And he cherishes pitching for the Lake Oswego (Oregon) team (1975-’76) that went head-to-head against Pay & Pack of Seattle. In 1975, Trotter had a 25-2 record, followed by 27-4 the next season.

“The Lake Oswego team was the best I’ve ever played on,” he said. “We dominated the Portland area and had big games against Pay & Pack.”

And he treasures having played in nearly 1,700 games; having played in ASA, ISC, and NAFA national tournaments, finishing as high as second.

TOUGH OUTS AND AGELESS IN SEATTLE

He also recalls pitching against George Decker of Roseburg (Oregon). “He was a long ball hitter that I could never get out,” he said. And the late Steve Newell of Pay & Pack: “He was a left handed slapper who could put the ball anywhere. He hit doubles that never left the infield.”

And there’s last August, when Trotter incredibly defied his age by pitching like a 25-year-old. He won four games to lead his Southern Oregon Bandits to the championship of the 49th annual Seattle Invitational, earning Most Valuable Pitcher honors.

But his success didn’t come over night.

In his early fastpitch career, Trotter played both the infield and outfield. And he played some semi-pro baseball. Then at 19, he became a full time fastpitch pitcher after hurting his arm throwing overhand in baseball.

He turned to Leroy Nelson and Gene Burke for help. They became his mentors. Burke taught him the windup and how to ‘walk the mound.’

“It was striding forward rather than the hopping and the twisting leap of today,” Trotter said.

TROTTER AND THE YOUNGSTERS

Many of his former teammates have long left the game for golf courses, hammocks, and cruise ship vacations. Now he often finds himself on the same team with their grandkids. And on the Bandits, he’s no doubt the elder statesman.

“They’re young and 25, and then there’s me,” Trotter said with a chuckle.

Every Bandit could espouse a testimonial about Trotter and his impact on the young team, now in its third season. His fastpitch savvy has time and again come to the aid of the Grants Pass ball club.

“If things get out of control, Mike knows how to manage high pressure situations and get us back into our style of play,” said Dan Mecum, Trotter’s catcher for the past five years. “My greatest moment of my career is catching Mike. It’s the easiest gig in town. I put my glove out and Mike hits it every time…He pinpoints everyone of his pitches.”

Dan Mecum, catcher, Southern Oregon Bandits

And said Mecum, Trotter has been a mentor to the Bandits three young pitchers: Marcus Durbin, 30, Josh McGowan, 25, and Brady Howe, 27.

“Mike realizes that the game will die off if there aren’t any pitchers,” Mecum said. “We had these three great athletes, who wanted to learn how to pitch. And Mike took them under his wing.”

Durbin has been one of the benefactors of Trotter’s years of experience. Although, Durbin has established himself as a pitcher in his own right, having Trotter on the bench giving advice when needed has been a boon to the Bandits’ pitching staff.

“Mike is very encouraging when he sees me getting frustrated,” Durbin said. “The one thing Mike has said is that you need one pitch – a go to pitch that you can throw for a strike.”

At 9 a.m. on Friday morning, Trotter packed up his softball gear and headed for Mt. Vernon, Washington for a tournament. It’s a 12-hour drive. A drive that would leave many ball players groaning and grumbling.

But not Trotter. After all he’s just following his passion.

(The Bandits won the Mt. Vernon tournament, and Trotter came on in relief in the championship game to seal the win, Durbin said.)

(click logo for original news story)

By JOHN SAHLY – jsahly@daily-chronicle.com

Tom Crouch, of DeKalb, is the starting shortstop for a world class fastpitch softball team in Appleton, Wis. (Photo by Beck Diefenbach – bdiefenbach@daily-chronicle.com)

Tom Crouch has traveled thousands of miles to reach where he is in men’s fastpitch softball.

It has brought the DeKalb resident to such places as Haiti, Mexico, Florida and southern California.

It also took him to the Dominican Republic. Known for its rich tradition of turning out talented Major League Baseball players, the country also provides a key number of pitchers and hitters to the international men’s fastpitch softball scene.

It’s where Crouch found himself years ago, working to improve his performance at the plate in fastpitch.

“The competition level was fantastic,” Crouch said. “The pitching wasn’t as good as it is in some of the other countries, but the hitters and defenders are great. Guys are very smooth defensively.

“Now I compete against some of those guys up here at the major level.”

Crouch is one of the most celebrated men’s fastpitch softball hitters in the country, earning last year’s North American Fastpitch Association MVP award as a member of the Bar of Appleton (Wis.) team. This year, Appleton has been as ranked as high as No. 9 in North America by the International Softball Congress.

Crouch, who is the assistant executive director/principal of the Kishwaukee Education Consortium, again has played a big role in that, with a batting average around .340.

The Appleton shortstop spent time after college in independent baseball leagues in Canada and a little bit in Florida when he first thought seriously about playing men’s fastpitch.

His dad had played and enjoyed it and Crouch decided to try it out playing 23-and-under ball.

He always knew fastpitch was a different game from baseball, but it was then he found out exactly how wide that gap really was.

The circle is only 43 feet from the plate. Pitchers throw fastballs that top out around 85-86 mph, which isn’t that bad until batters realize that because of the shorter distance than baseball, that fastball translates to about a 105 mph pitch from a mound.

“The transition from baseball to fastpitch is much more difficult than the other way because the ball moves up,” Crouch said. “There’s the riseball. In baseball everything is coming down and in fastpitch softball, most of the stuff is going up.”

Crouch knew he had to work at it if he wanted to break through the top level of fastpitch. Since winter cancels any opportunity of doing it close to home, he had to travel.

His dedication put him all over the map, traveling to faraway places just to work on his game. He gained a new appreciation for other cultures and improved his swing.

“I played 10-15 games a winter to get myself where I could compete at that level,” Crouch said.

He reached that level at age 24 and has excelled ever since. Now 37, Crouch appears to be at the top of his game in his second season with Appleton after three previous years in Green Bay.

Changing teams is a common occurrence in men’s fastpitch, and Crouch said what team players end up on depends on the relationships they build.

It also helps that his position at the Kishwaukee Education Consortium allows him to participate in one of his passions. With Fridays off in the summer, he can leave for a weekend tournament with plenty of time to get ready.

“The season’s over just before school starts,” he said. “It works out just perfect for me.”

And Crouch can keep playing a sport he’s grown to love and worked long hours over several years and in several countries working on and improving.

“I’m competing at the highest level in the world for the sport and playing against different players from 20 different countries,” Crouch said. “The opportunity to do that and face world-class competition all the time against world-class athletes is something I really appreciate being able to do.”

Congratulations to Mike Smith on his pending induction to the Lehigh Valley Softball Hall of Fame tonight at Pates Park.

(Photo by Maddy Flanagan) Can he still get that kind of air? Ask Smitty !

Mike has had more than his share of moments in the sun. One that stands out in my mind that I had a chance to watch, was his performance pitching for the Quaker Riversharks in the NAFA AA World Series in 2003 at Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, where he single-handedly pitched his team into the championship game. (Photo above) It was Mike Smith in the circle and Smitty in the pen. All week long.

Below is a photo of Mike at last night’s Hall of Fame ceremony, and his fastpitch biography:

Mike’s Fastpitch Bio:

Mike Smith #8

Mike Smith began his softball career as an infielder int he AllentownChurch League for Grace UC Cattheage of fourteen. After four years he advanced to the East Penn Fastpitch League and played five seasons with the Allentown Patriots.

In 1985 he received the call that elevated his softball career.

The call came from Rocky Santilli, coach of the Reading Sunners Major Men’s Fastpitch team.
Playing with the Sunners, Mike traveled across the country including representing the East Coast in the 1986 Olympic Sports Festival in Houston, Texas. In 1989 heplayed on Team USA in the Men’s Softball World Cup which was the last USA team to defeat New Zealand’s team to date. While playing with the Sunners, Mike had the opportunity to play with legendary pitcher Ty Stofflet who inspired his interest in becoming a pitcher.

After sharpening his pitching skills during the 80’s and 90’s playing in the East Penn League with Duke’s Pub and Poppa’s Pizza, he got his shot to pitch with the Philadelphia based team, DC Tire at the Men’s Class “A” level. In 1992, Mike played with DC Tire in the 64 team field ASA Tournament in Sacramento, CA. In the tournament, Mike pitched and won three games,and hit the walkoff championship winning home run in the bottom of the 8th inning to assist DC Tire in claiming the National Title. His play earned him First Team All-American Honors, Most Valuable Pitcher, and Most Valuable Player. In1994, DC Tire again claimed the ASA Men’s Class “A” National Title in Salem, OR. Mike contributed with a 4-0 pitching record, including a win in the Championship game and again received First Team All-American Honors.

Throughout the 90’s, while pitching and playing with such teams as Rookie’s Sports Pub and Fullerton Fire Company, his teams won numerous league and playoff championships.

Between 1999 and 2002, Mike played on weekends with the Can-Am Windmillers and All Seasons Patriots. In 2002, All Seasons wonthe NAFA AAA World Series,and Mike was named as a First Team All-World Player. He then joined the Quaker Riversharks in 2003 and that year at the NAFA AAWorld Series, Mike led his team to the championship game by pitching eight games in four days, totaling 56 innings, and tallying 28 consecutive innings on
the final day.Unfortunately the Riversharks came up short in the final game and finished in second place.His effort earned him a place on the First Team All-World Team and he also claimed the Most Valuable Pitcher Award.

During the next five years, Mike accomplished additional All-World Honors at both theNAFA World Series and theNSA World Series tournaments. Mike finished his ISC career with the Rise assisting them with back to back top four finishes in the ISC II Tournament of Champions in 2005 and 2006.

In addition to playing on weekend traveling teams, Mike continued to play in theEast Penn League. From 2002 to 2009, Mike played with the Jordan AC and Stooges Pub winning seven league and playoff titles, including last year’s final seasonof the East Penn League.

After turning forty he was recruited by the Matarazzo Seadogs ou tBoston, MA to play at the 40 & Over Nationals. With Matarazzo, Mike won three titles in 2005, 2006, & 2009.

Mike has been married to his wife Jill for fifteen years and his daughter Kourtney is now a junior at Penn State University. Mike plans to make golfing his next passion and he’s hoping to get his handicap into single digits at some point this year.

Stats

World&National Titles: 8 Wins: 425*
All-American&All-WorldHonors: 9 Strikeouts: 4300*
EastPenn LeagueTitles: 17 No- Hitters: 31
PerfectGames: 8
Homeruns: 265*
* approximate